Apparatus for feeding clay to molds in the manufacture of pottery ware



May 12, 1942. w. J. MILLER APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CLAY TO MOLDS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY WARE Original Filed March 20,1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR M'///IM 4117/ ATTQRNEY- y 12, 1942- w. J. MILLER 2,282,372

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CLAY TO MOLDS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY WARE Original Filed March 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y a k w R k INyENTOR W/ZL/fi/W J. Ml LLER having rollers Patented May 12, 1942 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CLAY TO MOLDS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY WARE William J. Miller, Swissvale, Pa. Original application March 20, 1936, Serial No.

69,776. 1940, Serial No. 1929 4 Claims.

This is a divisionalapplication of my co-pending application Serial No. 69,776, filed March 20, 1936 which has become patent 2,243,880, and relates to a method and apparatus for feeding clay to .molds in the manufacture of pottery ware.

As explained in my co-pending application mentioned, the molds in which the ware is formed and fabricated are disposed on open bottom trays which are mounted in series in an endless flexible conveyor. Said conveyor progresses the molds to a position where clay is automatically fed thereto by the novel means making up the subject matter of this application and subsequent to being charged with clay, the molds are transported to other positions where the fabrication of the ware ensues.

The present application is particularly concerned with the matter of feeding clay to molds in the manufacture of a diversified production and to the control and regulation of charge size, bulk, volume and shape.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of a portion of the mold conveying mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the clay feeder.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a to supply clay to the feeder.

Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section of a mold chuck and actuating mechanism therefor.

pug mill used Fig. 6 is a detail view of a part of the mold elevating assembly of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a reduced fragmentary view of a drive unit.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a detail view in section of a detent.

The molds in or on which the ware is fabricated are disposed in rows on open bottom trays or carriers 39, Fig. 1, which are swingably mounted in series in endless flexible chain conveyors 40 by hollow projecting trunnions 39a, 39b rotatably mounted thereon, these rollers having concave peripheries which assist in centering the trays laterally while supported on tracks 4|. The rows extend longitudinally and transversely of the conveyer 39 and the molds M in any one row may be of the same or diverse character. For instance, molds for making identical production may comprise an endless row extending in the direction of length of the conveyer or Divided and th is application August 13, 352,378. In Russia June 10,

extending laterally of the conveyor may be for an identical or a diversified production and the molds of the next succeeding row diversified with respect thereto. The object is to provide for correctly feeding clay to these many and diversified molds.

Tracks 4| are adjustably secured-to the machine frame and support the trays moving in on one side and out on the other of the feeding apparatus. The trays 39 have mold supporting plates 39m mounted thereon in spaced alignment laterally of the conveyor and each support is adapted to carry a mold and the moldson succeeding supportsin any one particular line, may be adopted for the production of ware of different size, shape or configuration.

The conveyor 40 is driven by sprockets and to provide for intermittently halting the trays at the feeding stations, a predetermined amount of slack is provided in the conveyor chain. 0

Track 4| is preferably formed with tray positioning notches where feeding operations requiring an inert tray ensues, and parallel with the track a tray carrying bar 41, notched at 4611, Fig. 1, is provided which is intermittently reciprocated by means of a system of rods and levers 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d and "e, and the cam 47! and 41g, the rods 41a being pivotally secured at opposite extremities to the bar 41 and bell-crank levers "b, the latter being pivotally connected by rod 470 which has pivotally connected thereto the one end of cam lever 41d, which is adapted to be actuated by cam 41g.

In operation, cam 41f, Fig. 1, actuates' a lever 41c, bell-crank 47b and elevates bar 41 lifting the clay trunnions clear then ac'tuates lever of the notches 46a; cam'flg 41c and the trays are adfvanced to the next succeeding notch. The chain the molds of a row sprockets (not shown) are driven in synchronism and the slack is periodically accumulated and dissipated on opposite sides of the halted tray or trays, the links buckling as shown at the left in Fig. 1 and permitting abutting trays to move into close-up relation.

Hollow or fiat-ware molds may be charged with clay and as the trays bearing the molds reach the feeding station said trays are halted with the molds superimposed relative to reciprocable and. rotatable chucks 62 forming part of the mold actuating units, shown in Fig. 5, these chucks being located at .the feeding station for the purpose of elevating the molds out of their open seats on the stands 39m into co-operation with the feeder. The complete assembly is mounted on a skeleton frame 63 adjustably se- 2, H v -".2,a.s a,a7a.;;' cured on supports 83a The frame 83 isprovided hollow,-thus forming a chamber Ila, and the withtransversely aligned fs'pindles 64, 6, hoodjlflj having a further groove 'Ilb both in having collars,- 849 supporting ata'pered. thrust communication with said chamber a hose nipple collar 64o, bearing roilers' i'lca, saddle 'Sld-tand -'l|c,- being: threaded into the hood l and comspring SleTabutting against cover L1 The 5 municatingl with said groove. Where the passpindle moves upwardly against the. tension oij sages B'2aJ2b and-1-l open out into the chuck spring vileand lowers by. gravity. 62,. r'esilient sealing and cushioning pads are ad- Spindle il isa spline sliding engagement with iustably threaded into the chuck. The fluid is chuck spindle 620'; Fig; 5; on which chuck .62 controlledchyfoam operated valves 12, described is securedgreciprocationjbeing imparted to chuck l0 inthefparent'application;

82 andspihdle- 620 by cam 6241 on crossshait The assemblyfjust describedis operated in convfle. The cam operates lever 82!, which is 1 fld-r junction with the feeder unit and may be mounted justably 'pivotedatr one extremity, -the pivoting- I; in multiple according to the number of'fabricatassembly, bein'g'qsupported from the fram'e fl,v ing lines being operated, the shafts Hi and 62a,

1 and at its opposite extremity pivotally secured Figs-5 and 7, being common to all of the units to a pitman ildythe pitman connecting. with 'fif desired. The gears Blhare preferably diseni'fl spindle flc bymeans'of a CI'QSS fOIk 62h, which gaged and the chuck held against angular moveis adiustably secured to said pit'rnan by nuts 'ment, since it'is. preferred not to rotate the chuck 2i atits onee'xtremity and forked into an an during feedin nul'ar' groove'inthe spindle float its opposite, e' claygof which the ware is to be formed "extremity. The-pitman 62g projects throughjand is taken from the. conditioning apparatus in the is' guided by eirtensions 62 of the frame 63', 'the j' I usual cartridge or slug form and disposed in a upperv end; of said pitman having adjustablyf hopper 18o opening into a progressing and comthreaded therein a contact screw "621:," the filnc-' f pacting chamber"'l8,-Fig-.'4, having a driven screw tio'n oiwhich will later become apparent. 'ltaworking-thereinz which progresses and com- Rotationmay be imparted to spindle 64 in the: pacts the: clay into. aconduit Bl extending transunit 'shownin Fig 5v by m n rcp-operative 'versely of the machine across the lines of molds friction gears Sly-and Gunthegear ilg being Qandcommon to a multiple of feeders. From this adjustably secured on the spindle '64 and the -cond i the ay is' fo ced in o e d n c h spnned for longitudinal sliding m n q'fbers" and segregated and extruded into or on the ment on a continuously driven cross shaft fli ij molds y 1' mpr ting pl er ss mbli s- The friction gears are brought into intermittent" Thegchamber 18 isformed with a supportin contact'by lever and brake assembly comprising *blfl for P s 1317 which e Secured a brake shoe i841 iormed with studs for mountin One pf the top plates of the machine and by 1 ingthe shoe forvertical movement on the-franie" 'as'lmeans of :which the .entire feeder assembly m y 63, a bell-crank'lev'er 64k, connecting rod illgpitg beadjustably-supported over the mold-actuating man fln and cam contacting arms "6,40 andffl'p, -assembly.l {Ifhe screw 18a is preferably formed in Arms 64o and flpar'e' alternately 'r'aisedand low s i'a dl ther uir dr- O these 56 1 ere'd byindiyiduglv am t m nt d tions aref'assembled. on the. squared portion of yon shaft 62c; U v g I '40-8'S1'l 8 -ft" 1 ,8C 8;Ild secured'from endwise displace- Tertiary-the speed of rotation or the chuck .m n jbv n' 'e Da Shaft having bearzing' inagdetachablewhead:18c"formed with a hub llc'zf-ja'nd. v bracket-21%,? the bearing being produring reciprocation, friction gears. I 84h have motionbeing ltransmittedg from thezcam to he m u m t e kasq n w n;

ar g v 'u1- a m -a 15"; is oritheqciiamberx'laare. preferably thegroove ream In this w to P e e a u r inlet 18h of which is rovided' with a stem pindle-andjch'uck b &ladius d-"t -,:wn k hefchi released". permittin sp W rin -l gea -1i" "if v hotnecesszatrily,v f ihu usly-rotating.

ednufiueusiy 'rotetmgf gear xd'og 19d, around trip 7 anis; fPower for-'driv-. bei-taken' from the main which extends along the.

sesame; 18 1- 3 3 he: machine We of this' shaft through. jvarious" cross shafts,

in vided' with thegusual packin' f gland and packin otatahly mounted on in niittently-rotating' ratchet i the-machine, motion being transmittedcal gears 61 and 81a similar to those used for the shaft 48 and cross shafts 820:, Fig. 7.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the clay compacting in the conduit 8| is forced upwardly through openings 8la, formed in the top of the said conduit and into a chamber 8lb formed in a pivot post Bic, and from the chamber 81b the clay passes through registering openings Nb and 8| b, respectively formed in the side wall of the post Bio and the hub of a pivoted turret casting Bid, and into one of a series of chambers 8."; formed in a multiple of radialcylinders 8le forming part of the turret 8ld, from which the clay is extruded into or on the molds. While the clay could be extruded direct from the conduit 8| onto the molds, the construction here shown is adapted for producing different kinds of ware in succession, as where plates, cups and saucers are being formed in one line of molds. The turret Bld, therefore, may be rotated on the pivot post 8Ic in synchronism with th mold conveyor to bring each cylinder over a mold as it is advanced in line if different types of molds are in the same line.

The upperextremity of the turret 8 Id is formed with a shoulder and trunnion to receive a gear 8|), which is rotatably mounted thereon, the gear being recessed to house a resiliently mounted latch or detent 8lg, Fig. 8, the shoulder being formed with a number of recesses in accordance with the number of extruding cylinders 8|b here three. After the gear and detent assembly have been applied, the gear is secured from displacement by a cap M11. The side of the turret 81d is also bored to receive a spotting or positioning detent assembly 8li, Fig, 2, and the side wall of the pivot post 8lc is formed with a plurality of notches, here three, so that when the turret is rotated to its approximate angular posl tion, it is spotted by said detent.

The upper extremity of the pivot post No is threaded and thereon is adjustably mounted a lever-supporting bracket or post 82, the lower extremity of which is rounded and enlarged as at 8211, and threaded over the post 8lc and secured by lock nut 82a, said bracket 82 also being cast with a. branch bracket 82b. On the upper extremity of this bracket 82a lever 8U is adjustably pivoted, said lever 8h terminating to a gear segment 8lk, which is in continual mesh with the turret gear 8. The lever 8h is oscillated by a groove cam 8| 1, which is formed with a groove 8H and adjustably secured as on shaft 80a, said lever being provided with a 'pin 8h" which engages in said groove.

As the cam 8ll rotates, lever 8l7' is oscillated, thus oscillating turret gear 81), the length of the stroke being adjusted in accordance with the angular spacing of the detent slots in the shoulder of the turret 8ld. Thus, if the turret is to be intermittently rotated counter-clockwise, the detent is turned so that the toe of its beveled end faces in that direction, and if clockwise, the detent is simply turned in its socket accordingly, while if the turret is to be oscillated back and forth, the detent is turned to an intermediate position. I

As the clay is progressed into the chambers 8lb it is extruded therefrom in measured charges by reciprocating plungers, each of which comprises a stem 83, which is hollow or formed with a longitudinal bore 83a, the lower extremity of the plunger being threaded to adjustably receive a socket 831), in which is threaded a porous head 83c composed of material such as plasterof-Paris and having a chamber 880' therein, the bore 83a terminating in said chamber. The head may be secured in adjusted position by a lock nut 83.11. The stem 83 extends upwardly through the top of the cylinder 8 le, which is provided with a packing gland 83c, said cylinder being formed with an extension guide bracket Me for said stem, the latter moving upwardly against the compression of a spring 83 which encircles the buckle 837", said hook engaging under a collar 83k, which is adjustably secured on each plunger stem 83. Lever 83i is actuated by a cam 831,

which is adjustably mounted on the shaft 88a, Fig. 3.

Means are provided for applying a treating medium, such as super and sub-atmosphere, electricity or other fluid to the clay charges, the rounded part 82a of bracket 82 and the upper extremity of post 8 lo being formed with registering bores or the passage 83m connecting with the plunger bore through a hose 830 and the passage 8311. leading down through the turret and terminating in an exuding chamber in an upper die generally designated by the numeral 84. The passages 83m and 8311. are under the control of a valve or valves such as that at 12, Fig. 5.

To provide for progressing different grades and mixtures of clay into one conduit and feeding a particular mix or grade into a particular advancing line or lines of molds, it is preferred to mount the progressing and compacting assembly shown at both endsv of the conduit 8|, and the extruding orifices along the conduit may be separated from one another by slide valves Blm. Thus, a certain grade or mix of clay may be progressed into each end 01' the conduit andmaintained separate by the slide valves, or if it should be desired to feed a different grade or mix of clay to each line of molds, a separate feeding chute and screw could obviously be provided for each extruding assembly.

The feeder assembly as a whole is adapted for use with the mold actuating units described in connection with Fig. 5 and it will be seen that the charges of clay may be treated on all sides,

viz: through the plunger head 83b, upper die or former and the mold. v

The operation of the feeder should now be understood. The clay may be deposited in the hopper I80 in the usual cylindrical roll as it is taken from the conditioning apparatus, the screw 18a being intermittently actuated to progress and compact the clay in a homogeneous mass into the conduit 8|, from which it is formed upwardly through the chamber 8Ib. If the turret is to be rotated to feed different types of molds in succession, the detent Hg is turned in the proper direction, and as the openings M11 and 8H) register, the clay passes into the chamber 8lb from which the feeding plungers eject or extrude and segregate it in measured charges against the molds, which are preferably elevated to the upper die and form a confining chamber substantially bounded on all sides by porous mate- I rial and into which the clay is extruded, the descending plunger completing the walls of the I chamber.

The feeding plungers need only be raised to a point sufficient to permit approximately the correct quantity of clay to pass into the feeding orifices, the side walls of which form an accumulating chamber or well and at which time it is preferred to partially rotate the screw 18a, whereupon the descending plungers move into the orifices and eject the clay in the form of a column onto the molds with sufiicient force to cause it to adhere thereto, the column spreading radially over the molds and expelling the air from the gradually closing chamber, until the molds and upper dies meet, at which timeor shortly thereafter the charge is completely extruded by the descending plunger head.

In the event clay should tend to adhere to the x plunger head, air under pressure may be applied be held firmly on the chuck and be prevented from sticking to the upper die if there should be any tendency in that direction. In the event it is desired to apply super-atmospheric pressure to the under-portion of the mold, the chuck may be magnetized.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In apparatus for the manufacture of pottery ware, a clay feeder which comprises, a plurality of charge forming mechanisms, means for alternating the charge forming mechanisms at the feeding position and means for locking said charge forming mechanisms in the feeding position. 7

2. Means for feeding clay to molds in the manufacture of pottery ware which comprises, a plurality of clay feeding mechanisms, means for automatically substituting one clay feeding mechanism for another in the feeding of clay to molds and means for locking the operating charge forming mechanism in the feeding position together with means for automatically unlocking and removing such feeder from the feeding position.

3. In combination with apparatus for transporting pottery ware molds, a clay feeder which comprises a plurality of charge forming mechanisms, means for automatically substituting charge forming mechanisms at the feeding position, each of said charge forming-mechanisms being regulable to feed diverse charges and releasible means for locking the said charge forming mechanisms in the feeding position.

4. In a clay feeder, a plurality of orifice members, means for alternating the orifice members -at the feeding position, means for locking said orifice member at the feeding position whilst feeding, the other orifice members being inoper ative during such interval.

WILLIAM J. MILLER. 

